The Simon Fraser University Clan women’s basketball team heads into its final four Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season games riding the momentum of four straight wins.
The team has also won 11 of its last 12 games as it prepares to play seventh-ranked Northwest Nazarene University tonight (Thursday) in Nampa, ID.
The Nighthawks are atop the conference standings, tied with the University of Alaska Anchorage. Both teams have only one loss with North Nazarene’s setback coming to the Clan Jan. 26 in Burnaby.
SFU closed out its home schedule last Saturday with a dominating 77-57 win over the Saint Martin’s University Saints.
Again, Coquitlam’s Kendal Sands was a spark to the Clan’s victory. Although this time her heroics happened early rather than in the dying seconds as it had on two previous occasions this season.
After a close-fought first quarter that had SFU up 20-18, a three-pointer by Sands in the first minute of the second quarter sent the Clan on their way as they increased their lead to 42-28 by halftime. Sands finished the game with 10 points and three rebounds.
Port Coquitlam’s Ozioma Nwabuko was SFU’s leading scorer with 20 points as she hit 10 of her 11 shots as well as pulled down three rebounds.
The win improved the Clan’s conference record to 12 wins and four losses. They’re in third place in the conference standings and have already clinched a berth in the playoffs, which will be held March 7-9 in Bellingham, Wash.
After their game against the Northwest Nazarene, SFU will play Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash., on Saturday. They’ll then close out their regular season with two more road games, against Western Washington University on Feb. 26 and on March 2 against Montana State University Billings.
Men still in the playoff hunt
SFU men’s basketball team are in Alaska for games against the University of Alaska tonight and the University of Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. The team then closes out its regular season schedule with three straight home games.
The Clan are in seventh place in the GNAC standings with a conference record of six wins and nine losses. The top six teams qualify for a spot in the playoffs that will also be held March 7 to 9 in Bellingham.
